I’ve got a confession to make. I wasn’t much of a baker before going vegan. To be perfectly truthful, I just wasn’t interested. Of course I made the occasional brownie and tried my hand at cupcakes but my general response was ‘meh’.

Something strange happened after I got my vegan wings though. I suddenly discovered a new found enthusiasm for baked goods and I loved it. My hips did not. Since my initial vegan baking spurt, which seen me whipping up something delicious every other day, I’ve reigned myself in.

Sugar is a treat and should be treated as thus. Yes, it tastes fantastic but as with anything over consumption can spell disaster. Curbing my sugar intake was probably easier for me than for most, as I’ve always had a more savoryÂ tooth than sweet.

With that said, I do allow myself to indulge now and again but I tend to lean towards super easy recipes rather than ones that leave my kitchen looking like a bomb has gone off in it. These simple sugar cookies are just that….simple…. but seriously delicious. I brought a batch of these over to my Sister in Law’s and her partner nearly fell off his chair when he discovered they were vegan.

One thing I do not compromise on is taste. Vegan or not, these cookies are wicked in every way – just make sure you have someone to share them with lest you eat the lot yourself!

Aine Carlin is a contributor from the vegan cookery blog PeaSoupEats. Follow her on twitter.

Ingredients

1 cup organic plain white flour

1/2 cup (vegan) granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegan sunflower spread/soy butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

zest 1 lemon

Directions

Photos: Aine Carlin

1. Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius/345 fahrenheit.

2. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl using a spatula or an electric whisk until it is fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and thoroughly mix.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and zest.

4. Add the flour to the creamed butter and mix until a soft dough is formed.

5. Shape into a log and wrap in cling film or foil and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

6. Tear off small amounts of dough and shape into balls spacing them well apart on a baking sheet, as they will spread in the oven.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Ease them off using a palate knife - they will be a little soft still but that is fine.

8. Allow them to cool on a rack for at least an hour before glazing - if you are glazing - otherwise they are as lovely warm as they are cooled.